Insights

  • Can urban agriculture live up to its inclusivity aspirations?

    Can urban agriculture live up to its inclusivity aspirations?

    Authors: Stijn van den Oever, Beste Sabir Onat, Adam Calo *An introduction from Stijn: Over the past year and a half, I had the opportunity to work for the JUST GROW project at the Radboud University, first as a research assistant, and later as an intern. It has been an incredibly enriching experience. I’ve learned so much about urban agriculture, doing research in practice, and what it means to work collaboratively on socially engaged academic work.… read more

  • Visiting GrünFrau — an urban farm supporting women and community

    Visiting GrünFrau — an urban farm supporting women and community

    Written by Rose Jennings; Edited by Ann-Kristin, Jörg Lüling and Patrick Baur So much more than soup! Care to venture a guess on who procured this pot of gold? No, it wasn’t the researchers that cut the “schnibble” (vegetable bits) and that laughed around the fire as we put it all into a cast-iron pot. Nor was it the garden manager who energetically jumped in to grind the peppercorn over the boiling harvest. Who loves this… read more

  • Notes from a Practitioner

    Notes from a Practitioner

    By Nessa Richman March 2025 Seven years ago, when I became the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council, my first priority was to develop relationships with the 25 Council members. Each one brought a personal perspective from their experience with the food system. Every day, I worked with these skilled and diverse farmers, food entrepreneurs, food rescue workers, food justice advocates and other passionate people to bend our local food system toward justice… read more

  • Urban Farms as Third Teachers: Learning and Sustainability at Voll Gård

    Urban Farms as Third Teachers: Learning and Sustainability at Voll Gård

    Authors: Beste Sabir Onat, Adam J. Calo, Stijn van den Oever, Heidi Vinge Despite rapid urbanization and the high commercial value of city-center spaces, Voll Gård in Trondheim, Norway, a pedagogical farm and competence center for urban agriculture, stands as a testament to the power of urban agriculture. Supported by policymakers and the government, this unique space fosters both community well-being and hands-on learning. The JUST GROW hub in Norway and the Netherlands are researching  land… read more